GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — More than 4,000 Consumers Energy employees have been offered a voluntary buyout from the company.
The Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) includes more than 4,900 non-union employees, 600 of which have shown interest, according to Consumers Energy.
The application opened to employees on April 17, giving interested employees just 11 days to decide if they would move forward with the VSP.
Consumers Energy is currently in the process of approving and denying interested applicants, however workers have until the end of June to move forward with the process.
13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to the utility company for more context about the VSP decision. Consumers cited transformation within the company and cutting ongoing costs as part of their decision to offer the VSP.
Their statement can be read below.
“As a company, we have big goals and are working tirelessly to create a better future for our customers and for Michigan. We are excited about the transformations we are making in how we do business and what this will mean for our company and our culture. As we evolve however, we recognize that our co-workers may have also changed and may be looking for something from their workplace and in their careers that no longer matches the Company’s plan for the future. We are offering a Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) which provides us an opportunity to reduce ongoing costs while also caring for our co-workers who wish to separate from the organization. We are still in the middle of the VSP process and cannot comment on specific numbers of people who will leave. I can confirm over 4900 were eligible for the separation agreement and up to 600 expressed interest.”
If the interested employees decide to move forward and accept the VSP, their last day will be August 1.
Those not interested in the buyout can choose to stay within the company.
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